Can Imposter Syndrome Be Healthy For Us?
Everyone has that one moment.
Your first job. Your first successful meeting. Your first conference panel. Your first launched marketing campaign.
An indelible feeling of accomplishment. You’re on top of the world.
Then — without warning — your insides squeeze.
You start asking yourself questions.
What if it was just beginner’s luck? What if I’m one mistake away from losing everything? How easy was this if even I could accomplish it? How many other people could have done this?
While not all those questions are valid concerns, it’s true that many people do fear success — that with success, comes a sharp rise in an added apprehension.
Imposter Syndrome — a tendency to discount the value of an accomplishment due to a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud” — is a pervasive fear in business, especially early in our careers.
I remember going into one of my first meeting at IBM where I nodded along to the requests of a senior project manager without asking any follow-up questions, wondering if someone in my position should just know these things outright.
But, we might be shocked to find that it even exists amongst the most accomplished laureates of the past century.
Maya Angelou once said:
“I have written 11 books, but each time I think, ‘Uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.’
If you feel inadequate, you’re one of millions who feel the same way.
The more knowledge you gain, the more accolades you acquire, the more likely you are to find yourself in a foreign environment with an even higher tendency to wing it.
The problem, however, is not the fact that most of us have dealt with imposter syndrome in our lives. It’s not the fact that it’s inevitable.
It’s the fact that people are obsessed with this concept of trying to “overcome” imposter syndrome.
A simple look at the google searches for the topic suggest some level of certainly, as if defeating imposter syndrome is a wall you jump over or a boss you defeat in a video game.
Running a five minute mile is easy to measure — as soon as you hit 4:59, you’re done. Winning a game of Pokemon is easy to measure — as soon as you beat the Elite Four, you’re a Pokemon champion.
But what about Imposter Syndrome?
How do we “overcome” it to the point where it disappears?
More importantly, how do people who have collected much success, like Maya Angelou, still manage to stay successful?
I’m inclined to believe that what separates successful people vs. individuals who suffocate under imposter syndrome isn’t necessarily whether they feel it (I presume everyone does) or whether they eventually overcome it (I actually presume seldom do) but whether they can simply distract themselves enough from it to move forward.
The trick with Imposter Syndrome is reframing it: the minute you become confident and objectively accomplished enough to prove to yourself that you can do no wrong, it doesn’t go away.
Your challenge simply changes.
If our assumption that imposter syndrome could be defeated were true, let’s take a look at Michael Jordan. In 1983, he had conquered the college stage at UNC and was on his way to being a coveted pick in that year’s draft.
He excelled in his rookie year, with a delicate confidence shown by few rookies in the history of the game. He was elected to play in his first All-Star game in February 1985, an ultimately underwhelming performance where he went 2 for 9 and got repeatedly shut downby George Gervin.
He was interviewed after the game, stating:
“I just couldn’t calm myself down. Most of the time when you’re nervous, you get over it after one or two times up and down the court. But being introduced before the game — hearing them call out my name as a starter — that was the highlight of my career. I was out there with so many great players that it was a nervous experience for me. I couldn’t get relaxed until the second half. I guess it shows I’m human. I’m nervous in situations. I’m not going to be great every time I step on to the court.”
One of the greatest players of all-time admitting that even after he conquered the college stage and had one of the most impressive starts for a rookie in league history, he was was still nervous.
Before Jordan left the arena, he mentioned: “I expect to be in many more all-star games. Next time I won’t be nervous at all.”
Like many others, Jordan suffered from imposter syndrome.
Like many others, Jordan simply used his debilitating nerves as a motivator — a vehicle for future improvement.
Instead of trying to overcome Imposter Syndrome, what if we all just rejoiced in suffering from it? What if we just used it as a motivator? What if instead of a red flag that told your brain to panic, it simply communicated to your brain that you were being sufficiently challenged?
I pose these as questions, since they are questions I also need to ask myself more. This isn’t anything I’ve totally figured out.
But the more I mull it over, I would argue that Imposter Syndrome, although marketed as some sort of disease, is rather healthy.
Sensing this feeling of being an imposter tells you that you have a long way to go. The prize is simply being an imposter once again.
Instead of a line like this where your imposter syndrome gets less intense the more you exercise mind tricks and confidence, as career experts claim:
Imagine a line like this.
A never-ending string of imposter syndromes that allow you to get slightly less nervous until the point where you face your next challenge.
It happens to Michael Jordan, Maya Angelou, and likely even your own boss.
So continue to do things that scare the shit out of you, anticipate this feeling of self-doubt, and wear your imposter syndrome like a cloak of honor — more than likely, you won’t need to throw the cloak away anytime soon.
I’m currently a growth marketer based out of the Bay Area and enjoy sharing insights around growth, careers, and personal anecdotes. I also like meaningless controversies (check out ranking of the best fast food fries) and spending my days finding the best Super burrito in San Francisco. Check out my newsletter for more. If you have any thoughts, get in touch here or via @kushaanshah on Twitter!
